Upcoming iPhone SE 4 Could Outsell Previous Versions, Says Analyst
Credit: Concept Central
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At least one Apple analyst thinks the Cupertino firm’s upcoming iPhone SE 4 will likely sell over 20 million units in 2025, making it the most popular iPhone SE model ever. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the fourth-generation iPhone SE could outsell previous SE handsets, and possibly cause drama between Apple and iPhone modem supplier Qualcomm.
On Friday, Kuo posted his thoughts on X, saying he believes the fourth-generation iPhone SE will sell more units than any of Apple’s previous budget models. He estimates that 12 million units will be shipped by Apple in the first half of the year and 10 million units in the second half. The previous iPhone SE lineup is estimated to have shipped 20 million units annually, although exact numbers are unavailable, as Apple does not publicly share sales numbers.
Kuo also believes the iPhone SE 4 will help ease the usual post-holiday slump in iPhone sales. The fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to be compatible with Apple Intelligence, spurring budget-minded iPhone users to upgrade to access Apple’s Artificial Intelligence features.
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to use Apple’s in-house developed 5G modem, which Kuo believes will spur Qualcomm to examine its modem patents more closely and find ways to collect licensing fees from Apple to make up for the lost modem orders.
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to be released any day now. Initially, the new budget handset was predicted to debut before Valentine’s Day, but here we are, and we haven’t seen an announcement yet. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who had predicted a release for the device this week, says it has been delayed until next week.
That said, the new handset still has an excellent chance of debuting sometime next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently hinted the “newest member of the family” will arrive on Wednesday, February 19. While this was an oblique reference that could point to any Apple product, the iPhone SE is the only device expected in the short term that would warrant a teaser like this. The second-generation iPhone SE debuted in April 2020, while the third-generation was unveiled in March 2022.
Another indicator that the iPhone SE 4 could be announced soon is that French electronics retailer Boulanger prematurely posted a product listing for a “new” iPhone SE. The post was only up for a short time before it was removed. It isn’t clear if Boulanger had been told by Apple that a fourth-generation iPhone SE was on the way or if the retailer published the placeholder page so it would be ready just in case rumors about the new handset panned out.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen retailers jump the gun with ads for upcoming Apple products and then have to pull the ads a short time later.
Apple has not announced a press event, so the new iPhone SE will likely be announced via an “Apple Newsroom” press release on the Apple Newsroom website.
The new iPhone SE is expected to boast an iPhone 14-style design and will be equipped with a USB-C port and Face ID, replacing the Lightning port and Touch ID-equipped Home button on the current iPhone SE.
The new SE is expected to grow in size from the current 4.7 inches to 6.06 inches and will feature an OLED display for the first time on an SE model. The new handset is expected to be powered by the same A18 chip as the iPhone 16 lineup and have 8GB of LPDDR5 memory.
In addition, the SE 4 will have an aluminum chassis, a single rear 48-megapixel camera, and the previously mentioned in-house 5G modem. The new iPhone SE 4 is expected to retail from $499 to $549.
